Luke Littler lost to Damon Heta in the British Open quarterfinals last weekend
Luke Littler hit nine darters to win the Belgian Open on Sunday in his European Tour debut.
Littler, 17, defeated Wiese's Rob Cross in a tight 8-7 final to take home the £30,000 top prize.
Nine darters gave Littler a 6-5 lead, but Cross pushed it all the way and the teenager averaged 103.76 points in the final to win.
“I hit the nine and lost the next two legs, so I'm really happy to get over the line,” Littler said.
“It's always good to be involved in a good game. We always push ourselves until the last leg.”
Cross, playing in his ninth European Tour final, praised his opponent.
“He's really making strides,” Cross said. “We wanted a big display and we got a big display. To be honest, we missed some opportunities, but I love this crowd this weekend.”
“This young man has a very bright future ahead of him. Nine darters were impeccable and fantastic. This kid is special.”
On his way to the title, the World Championship runner-up hit the 180-second mark 30 times, a European Tour record.
“Arrogance” controversy with Pietrezko
Littler appeared to have a word with his semifinal opponent Ricardo Pietrico on stage after his 7-3 loss.
After the game, Pietrezko criticized Littler on Instagram, saying, “I'm so grateful to him for being able to play a game like this at his age, but I hope he gets punished for his arrogance.” he posted.
“I don't know what I did wrong, I don't know what he said, please do something and don't do it again,” Littler said on Twitter.
The teenager also beat Damon Heta and Jermaine Watimena to take the title, while Cross reached the final with a 7-3 win over Wales' Gerwyn Price in the semi-final.
